Corded fly opening for garments



June 14, 1955 J. p GRAY CORDED FLY OPENING FOR GARMENTS Filed Feb. 10, 1953 67x91.

`TIQSEPM l? gYgNTOR.

BY K MJ M Arrm/fy U ire ttes 2,710,411? Patented .fune 14, 1955 frce CORDED FLY OPENING FOR GARMENTS Joseph Paul Gray, .Frackville, Pa.

Application February 10, 1953, Serial No. 336,116

1 Claim. -(Cl. 2-234) This invention relates to a corded y opening for garments.

The invention applies particularly to shorts for men and to dresses having side, front or back openings with a slide fastener closure of the type commonly known as a zipper.e a fly opening or the like is juxtaposed to a slide fastener closure.

The object of the invention is to provide a y opening construction which cannot be caught in a slide fastener. the Hy opening flap of an undergarment, say a pair of mens shorts, is caught in the slide fastener of a pair of trousers to the extent that the slide fastener is jammed in a certain position and can neither be opened or closed beyond that position. The present invention provides positive means in the fly opening ap of the shorts or other similar garment to prevent entrapping of said flap in the slide fastener of a pair of trousers or other outer garment.

Briey, this invention consists of beading or cording the free edge of the outer ap of a fly opening in an undergarment such as a pair of mens shorts or a dress of the character above mentioned. This has the effect of increasing the thickness of the free edge of said flap without adding substantially to its degree or extent of stiffness. The thickened edge possesses body and the cloth of which it is made snugly encloses a core. Consequently, the cloth which forms said edge of the ap cannot itself engage the fastener elements of the slide fastener and the combination of said cloth and its inner core is too thick and too heavy to be caught therein. Consequently, a beaded or corded edge of the character described cannot possibly jam a slide fastener.

The core to which reference has above been made is simply a length of cord or twine which is sufficiently tiexible to avoid rendering the garment flap uncomfortably stiff or rigid. A suitable material for this purpose is a braided cotton cord about one-eight of an inch in diameter. This, however, is purely illustrative and other types of cord or twine may be used to advantage in connection with this invention.

An important feature of this invention is the usefulness of the corded fly opening flap for the purpose of locating the iiy opening, especially in hot weather when the shorts are apt to twist or turn about the person. The corded edge of the outer fly opening ap is readily detected, and with it the fly opening itself.

A preferred form of this invention is shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. l is a front view of a pair of mens shorts having a beaded or corded fly opening Hap made in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of the fly opening construction of said pair of shorts, the outer ap of said fly opening being partly broken away to expose the inner cord which prevents it from being caught in a slide fastener.

It also applies to other garments in which It is common knowledge that from time to time Fig. 3 is a fragmentary transverse section through said tiy opening construction, showing how the inner cord is -secured within the edge of the outer fiap of said ily opening.

The pair Iof shorts 10 which is shown in Fig. l of 'the drawing is intended to illustrate the various garments to which the present invention may be applied. For purposes of illustration, therefore, the invention will be .described solely in terms of its relation to the garment -shoWn-in'Fig. l.

Garment 10 'has a fly opening as the drawing clearly shows. The y opening is formed between an inner flap 12 and an outer ap 14 which overlap each other lin conventional manner. `Inner flap V12 is conventional in construction as Fig. 3 clearly indicates. vOuter flap 14 is also conventional in construction except for the fact that it embodies a core 16 which may be made of braided cotton cord or any other suitable cord or twine. Flap 14 has a free edge 18 which is rolled over core 16. Stitches 2t) parallel core 16 and lock said core within said rolled edge 18.

More specifically, outer flap 14 has an outer wall 22 and an inner wall 214 which receive core 16 between them. Edge 1S is the bight which joins said outer and inner walls 22 and 24 and it is within said bight that core 16 is held. Stitching 26 and also stitching 26 secure the two outer and inner walls together. Stitching 20, however, performs the additional function of retaining core 16 within bight 1S and drawing said bight snugly around said core.

t will be noted in Fig. 2 that core 16 extends substantially the full length of tiap 14. More precisely, it extends substantially the full distance from that portion of the upper end of the outer flap which is secured to the upper end of the inner flap to that portion of the lower end of the outer ap which is secured to the lower end of the inner ap. Consequently, the entire edge 18 of outer Hap 14, to the extent that said edge is free, is reinforced by core 16 so that no part of it can be caught in a slide fastener.

An important feature of this invention is the manner in which core 16 is fastened within edge or bight 18 to prevent displacement or dislodgment thereof. This is accomplished by stitching 20 holding said core within said bight and also by means of stitches 2S and 30 which extend transversely across the upper end of the core and thereby secure said upper end of the core to the upper end of the outer ap 14. As a matter of fact, the upper end of the core may project upwardly beyond the top end of the fly opening so that it may be secured not only to the outer flap but also to the inner flap. In such case, the very same stitching 28 and 30 which are conventionally applied to a garment, such as garment 10, above the fly opening would also be used to fasten the upper end of the core to the aps of said y openmg.

The lower end of core 16 is not secured to the lower ends of the two fly opening aps. Instead, it is completely free at the lower end of bight 18 except that it is conined therein by vertical or longitudinal stitching 20. This is important to properly secure core 16 to the outer flap of the y opening without rendering the same rigid or otherwise inflexible. Attaching the core at only one end and confining it along its full length also compensates for unequal shrinkage as between the core and the cloth of which the flap is made and helps prevent the core from ruftiing or tearing the cloth or tearing the stitching which secures the core to said flap.

The foregoing is illustrative of preferred forms of this invention and it will be clearly understood that this preferred form may be modified in many respects and other preferred forms may be provided within the broad scope of the invention and of the claim.

l claim:

A corded y opening for garments of the character described, comprising an outer ap and an inner flap, said flaps being in overlapping relation to each other and being secured to each other at both ends and free from each other intermediate their said ends, said outer ap having an outer and an inner wall joined by a bight eX- tending longitudinally along the free edge of said outer ap between its two secured ends, said walls being also sewed together by stitching extending longitudinally thereof in spaced, parallel relation to said bight, a tunnel being thereby formed between said outer and inner walls and between said bight and said longitudinal stitching, and a cord disposed within said tunnel and extending longitudinally thereof, said cord extending substantially the full length of said tunnel and up to its upper end,

cross-stitching being applied across the upper end of the cord and the two walls of said outer ap to secure References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 370,903 Stone Oct. 4, 1887 375,219 Stiefel Dec. 20, 1887 582,145 Oppenheim May 4, 1897 2,228,624 Frank June 14, 1941 2,549,374 Friedman Apr. 17, 1951 

